369 Ways to pray Page 38 |
369 names, titles and epithets of our Lord |
The Prayer of SilenceThere are times when we do not need any words for prayer. This perfect silence is the ideal prayer providing that the silence is real and not day-dreaming.
In deep silence of body and soul, complete serenity fills the soul, complete peace |
OUR TRIUNE GODThe Blessed, Holy, and Undivided Trinity,
The Tripersonal God. |
fills the body, when there is no turmoil of any sort and we stand before God completely open in an act of adoration.
Inner silence is absence of inward stirring thought or emotion but is complete alertness, openness to God. The Greek fathers called this silence " hesychia " . |
GOD'S LIFE IN TRINITY
is expressed in three words;- Coinherence, . Circumincession from the Latin Circumincessio Perichoresis from the Greek Perikorisis .. |
This silence is the state in which all the powers of the soul and all the faculties of the body are completely at peace, quiet and recollected, perfectly alert yet free from any turmoil or agitation.
When stillness has brought us into the presence of God, then another sort of silence intervenes: the silence of a soul that is not only still and recollected but |
True GodAnd we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding,
that we may Him who is true: and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the True God and eternal life. 1 JOHN 5:20 NKJV |
which is overawed in an act of worship by God,s presence : a silence which as Julian of Norwich puts it , " Prayer oneth the soul to God "
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True LightThe true light which, coming into the world, gives light to every man
JOHN 1 : 9. |
The Way of SilenceIn this kind of prayer it is not ourselves who are taking the initiative. Instead of talking to God we are listening to His word within us.
In the 14 th Century Walter Hilton wrote "You, yourself, do nothing, you simply |
True VineI am the true vine , and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me
that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful . JOHN 15 : 1-2 NIV |
allow Him to work in your soul."
St. Theresa reminds us that all we can do in prayer is to dispose ourselves; the rest is in the power of the Holy Spirit who leads us. St Paul wrote (Rom 8:26) we do not even know how to pray but the Spirit prays within us. |
5 I am the vine : you are the branches.
If a man remains in me and I in Him he will bear much fruit: apart from me you can do nothing. 8 This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. JOHN 15 : 5 & 8 N.I.V. |
To enter into a loving awareness of the Spirit of Jesus within our heart we naturally try to be still and to concentrate.
St Teresa of Avila said that if we were serious about prayer we would be led into the " Prayer of Quiet " in a relatively short time-- 6 to 12 months. In meditation we turn the searchlight of consciousness off ourselves, |
TRUTH The law was given through Moses but grace and truth came
Through Jesus Christ. JOHN 14 : 6 NKJV |
we come to a deeper awareness of God in Christ.
This way is the way of silence. |
Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him. "If you abide in My word, you are my disciple indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
JOHN 8 : 31-32 |
Silence in the SpiritThere is prayer in the Spirit, like tongues but without sound or words.
There is Silence which is not a lack of words but transcends words, and surpasses them. |
Unspeakable GiftThanks be to God for His indescribable gift ! NKJV
Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. JERUSALEM Thank God for His Son--a gift too wonderful for words NLT |
There is Silence in which spiritual perception is alive to the divine presence
and to the enjoyment of our presence by the Divine. The individual has an inner sense of who it is to whom he has turned Being present in love really does yield a knowledge of the other.. |
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift 2 Cor 9 : 15 A V
. . . . . the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD ROMANS 6 : 13 |
SLOWNESS PRAYERThere is a range of slowness prayer.
Awareness - slowness prayer is a form of prayer when we slow down our pace of activity in order to become aware of our surroundings and God,s active presence |
Unique GodLord God of Israel, There is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You,
who keep Your covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. from Solomans Prayer 1 Kings 8:23 NKV |
with us.
A person hurrying across a given space may be thinking what he'll do and say when he arrives and be quite oblivious of the view , the beauty of his surroundings, the fragrance, the weather, the warmth of the sun, or the birdsong. Such a person is not alive to his own appearance, his feelings, his attitudes or. |
Therefore You are great o Lord God, for there is none like You,
nor is there any God besides You. . . . . . 2 SAMUEL 7 : 22 N.K.J.V. |
motivation. He is quite switched off to any reflection about his fellow men or their feelings or needs or the harmony of God's purpose in those around him.
Consciousness of these things would allow us to be sensitive to people and more aware of the context of our existence and possibly even grateful for the things which previously we had not noticed. |
Very ChristDo the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ.
JOHN 7:26 A V |
Slowness Prayer is a deliberate attempt to slow down in order to be able to be reflective and to express our gratefulness and our awareness to the Divine presence who goes wherever we go.
Some people used to call this " Walking With The King ". |
Saul increased the more in strength ,
and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus proving that this is very Christ. ACTS 9:22 A V |